What happens to computer equipment that businesses have replaced
or machines that have simply seen better days? Often, the equipment
ends up collecting dust in the corner, of little use to anyone.
Worse, it winds up in some landfill, where metal, plastic and other
toxic materials find their way into our already polluted
environment.

Sometimes, however, unwanted computers also find their way to
the Marin Computer Resource Center (MCRC) in San Rafael,
California. The nonprofit organization, started in June 1994,
rescues PCs, Macintoshes, printers and other computer components
from early retirement, repairs them if necessary, and then puts
them in the hands of the needy.

Recipients, which include public schools, libraries and homeless
shelters nationwide, as well as orphanages, hospitals and worldwide
organizations as far away as Moscow and Gambia, have found unique
ways to put the old equipment to good use. "Obsolescence is a
relative term," says James Burgett, MCRC's executive
director. "If you don't have any processing capabilities,
anything is a quantum leap."

After the high-tech hand-me-downs come in, a staff of interns
handles everything from light repairs to complete refurbishing of
most computer components. And if something can't be fixed, it
doesn't land in the junkyard: It's broken down into its
basic elements--plastic, metal and so on--and recycled.

So far, the MCRC has shipped more than 3,000 fully operable
computers to happy customers on every continent. Still, Burgett has
much bigger plans: He hopes to open another Bay Area center and
begin expanding into Europe and Asia as well. If you have equipment
you'd like to donate, call (415) 454-4227.

Fast Lane

A symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) access may be
coming soon to a computer near you. Though the superspeedy service,
which currently delivers speeds of 1.5Mbps, isn't expected to
go mainstream until next year, some local telephone companies have
announced plans to offer it by as early as September.

Pacific Bell is testing ADSL Internet access and remote local
area network access with approximately 100 customers in the San
Francisco Bay Area. In September, Pac Bell plans to roll out ADSL
service on a limited basis--primarily to Silicon Valley
residents--and will likely expand to additional regions throughout
California in the coming years. Because of its anticipated high
cost, the service will most benefit companies that use the Internet
heavily for downloading and other tasks.

Bell Atlantic is testing ADSL Internet access in the Washington,
DC, area; it hopes to bring the high-speed service to the
commercial market later this year. Other telephone companies are
expected to follow suit with similar announcements of upcoming ADSL
service.

Bulk Mail

Is your e-mail box getting so full, you're sure it's
reached the breaking point? Don't expect a letup any time soon:
According to a recent report from Forrester Research Inc., a market
research firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, consumer use of e-mail
is skyrocketing, promising to keep e-mail boxes stuffed to the
gills for years to come.

In 1992, approximately 2 percent of the U.S. population enjoyed
access to e-mail. Now, 15 percent use it, and Forrester anticipates
the growth will balloon to approximately 50 percent of the
population by 2001. Fueling the drive, says Forrester, will be a
continued increase in home PC penetration and corporate Internet
access.

You might think the proliferation of e-mail would send users
over the edge with message overload. However, Forrester predicts
that future developments in software applications, which help users
better manage and sort their unwieldy mounds of e-mail, should help
us keep a handle on it all.